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Decent overall

This product functions as an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, and at a fairly decent price too. It is fairly bulky, but not unduly so: 16 x 18 x 16.8 inches, at just over 9 pounds in eight

It prints off quickly and without hassle, unlike my previous printer which would often jam the paper whilst attempting to print.

No such problems here, can comfortably fit 100 streams of paper in the paper tray without getting jammed. If printing off a large number of sheets, then there's a high probability that at least some of the printed paper will come off the paper tray. Thus, try to keep the printer away from the edge of the unit it's placed on so as to avoid the printed pages falling on to the floor. If not, then you will have to supervise the printing process.

If you run ot of paper during a print-off, just re-load and press the continue button, without any further hassle.

Sometimes, when cancelling a print-out, further queued print-outs can get disrupted, which is fairly irritating. The only way to solve this is to re-boot the computer.

The scanning and copying faciliies are great too. No need to constantly be visiting the local photocopiers everytime I want a few copies of some document.

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A reliable, useful, multi-functional printer

The HP Deskjet F4180 is a printer, photocopier and scanner - all in one, bulky product. We purchased the printer for around £60 and we had high hopes for it having been a customer of HP in the past, expecting reliability, value for money and ease of use, and, on the whole, that is what we got! We bought the printer about a year ago because we were fed up of having to go out everytime we needed to photocopy something (and with two students in the house, that was quite often!). Despite being big, bulky and black, the printer is somehow relatively aesthetically pleasing, with smooth rounded corners and a silver trim. It is, however, certainly worth considering that, as it is so big, the printer takes up an awfully large amount of space!

The main feature that we use is, of course, the printer! I find that producing either 20 pages per minute in black ink or 14 in colour is plenty enough for me and the domestic purposes that I require it for, however there are faster printers available! The paper tray does not often jam unlike other printers that we have been in possession of in future years, and the quality of printing is reasonable, although not entirely crisp or clear, particularly when printing onto photo paper.

We use the photocopying feature as regularly as expected, and being able to photocopy important documents as well as school work and forms of all description is incredibly useful! Once you've got the hang of where and how to position the pages you'd like to be photocopied, the rest is straight forward! It is easy to work out the functions of the buttons on the printer and even if it isn't obvious, the clear manual will soon have you on your way! The scanning feature is also very useful, and although we don't use it quite as much as the other features, being able to scan important documents so that we have back-up in case the orignals are misplaced or damaged is just brilliant! The HP Deskjet F4180 All-in-one gets through quite a lot of ink, but do not fear, because it runs on fairly cheap cartridges. I think we pay around £8/£9 for both colour and tri-ink.

All in all, a sturdy and reliable printer that has not let us down to date! Prints quickly and well, and has useful scanning and photocopying features. I would say that this product is certainly worth investing in, particularly as my research would suggest that it is available relatively cheaply online at the moment!

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A good printer

We got the HP Deskjet F4180 all in one printer for my sister during her uni course. Three years later, she's back and now I'm using it too. The printer is a compact and robust rectangular shape, which makes it extremely easy to store unlike older all in one printers, like the HP PSC 750 and the HP Photosmart 2610, which are both rounded at the top.

Connecting the printer up to function is straightforward, and requires you to connect the printer to the power supply (the battery is a bit heavy and bulky) and also from the printer to the computer. You can also link the computer to a network so you can print from wireless computer connections, which we currently have with another printer.The simplicity of the interface and buttons on the printer itself makes using it very easy. Personally, I use this to print documents from the computer, which is controlled from the computer, but photocopying is just as easy, and a touch of a button away.

Recently we had to scan some documents for my mum and whilst that may be the most complicated procedure compared to printing and copying, that too was made easy by the printer. Having put the document in, just press scan and then the on screen instructions will direct you. You can save the file as a picture, include it in word or attach in an email document.

The quality of the scan is very high, and you can zoom in to it 300-400% and still have it at a good resolution. Printing and Copying produces similar results. You wouldn't be able to tell it was a copy if you compare the original and the result.

The printer came out quite a few years ago, and still works which is great. We got it extremely cheaply during a Christmas sale for about £30, and also because we knew the ink cartridges for this printer would be cheaper than the other printer at home, so it was a worthy investment. Cartridges cost around £10-20 depending on where you get them.

Overall, the printer has been a pleasant addition to the family of printers and half broken all in ones. This has the nicest design of all, is lightweight and compact. Despite its price, quality is not compromised and you still get very good prints. I can foresee this outlasting the other printers. Highly recommended.

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3 in 1 Printer, Scanner and Photocopier from HP

**HP F4180 All-in-One from Hewlett Packard**

*Introduction*

I wrote a rather damning review some time ago about my Hewlett Packard computer which died after only 18 months of use. The PC package I went for at the time (November 2008) included the base unit itself, keyboard, mouse, monitor and, for good measure, an All-in-One Printer, Photocopier and Scanner - The HP4180 to be precise and the subject of this review.

Thankfully the All-in-One from HP has proven to be far more reliable than the computer ever was and even now, 2 years after I purchased it it is still going strong. Technology moves on at a great speed these days and I was contemplating whether or not to write this review figuring that a newer model would have surely superseded it and so making this particular model obsolete, looking on the Internet though I was reassured to see that this printer is still available to buy from some electrical retailers although its availability is somewhat limited now.

Whenever I write an electrical item review I always mention that I am not all that technically minded and this review will concentrate more on the features of the item and what my thoughts are on each aspect. It won't be technical or full of jargon but I hope that it will be useful to anyone who is looking for an All-in-One product.

*The F4180*

To be honest I didn't actually want an All-in-One printer/scanner/photocopier as I figured that I wouldn't use anything other than the printer itself but as this was a freebie included with the computer itself it would have been foolish of me to refuse it so I gratefully accepted the large box in which it came.

The supplied picture on here gives an idea of what the item actually looks like and I would point out here that you will need a decent amount of workspace available or a separate table on which to stand the machine as it is big and bulky. Its dimensions measure in at a mammoth 42.5cm in width, 37cm in depth and 18cm in height and in its unboxed state weighs in at just over 4 kilograms - it is as attractive as a solid, 3-Dimensional rectangle of black plastic can be but by no means does it blend into the environment in which it sits. My computer desk has a shelf that manages to accommodate the printer but if space is at a premium to you then this should be a consideration before making a purchasing decision. As far as build quality is concerned this looks well made with well finished-off, rounded corners, the paper tray feels durable yet relatively light-weight, the photocopier/scanner lid has a reassuring thickness and heaviness to it and all in all it looks a solid bit of kit.

Aesthetics aside, it's the functionality and performance of each of the three separate devices which are the most important things and for this review I will discuss them separately.

*Photocopier*

It's amazing how useful a photocopier is when you have one at home, I didn't think I would actually use this function but since owning this machine I have used this for copying bank statements for filing, letters of which I have had to send to multiple people and of course it comes in handy for family members who want something copying privately rather than them having to pay 10p per page at the local post office. The F4180 can produce either colour or black and white copies at a rate of 14 and 20 pages per minute respectively and you can set the machine to produce upto 9 copies at a time. The resolution and the quality of copied documents is clear and I have not noticed any difference between a copy generated from my machine to copies I have made on proper, full sized photocopiers.

*Scanner*

Another function which I thought I wouldn't particularly use that much but again by actually having a scanner available to me has meant that I have been able to upload old family photographs to my computer and my Facebook account. Documents of which I have wanted to store online have been scanned and stored digitally and the end results have always been a clean and crisp representation of the original. It is a flat-bed colour scanner whose resolution is 1200dpi x 1200dpi and takes just under a minute to scan and convert a 6"x4" colour photograph to a digital image, written or printed documents take around 30 seconds to transfer and once they are uploaded can be stored to your computer's hard-drive or external pen-drive if you prefer. By having this function available means that I have been able to scan and store personal items which provide a backup should the original be lost, stolen or damaged and to me this is an invaluable aspect of the machine which I am glad is there.

*Printer*

By far the most often used function of the machine and what I originally wanted in the first place. It is an inkjet printer which can produce both colour and black and white documents and the same as the photocopier will produce either 20 pages per minute or 14 depending if it's a colour or monochrome page you are printing. I'm sure there are quicker printers available to buy which will produce many more pages per minute if you are a high-end user but for me it is sufficient for my requirements and unlike some printers I have had in the past any paper-jams are few and far between. The majority of printers make some noise when in action and this is neither quieter nor noisier than others which are available, you certainly don't need ear protectors when you are printing a document but to say it is silent would be untrue. Because I am easily pleased and not all that demanding when it comes to printing a letter or document I am quite happy just to let the printer do its 'thing'. The paper-feed can sometimes be a little over-responsive though so sometimes it will drag more than one piece of paper through the printer at a time, however once you get the knack of where to position the paper correctly this problem is easily rectified, trial and error and a little patience with the machine soon resolves this issue but do bear in mind that this can be an annoying little 'foible' of this printer.

*Connectivity*

I have my All-in-One connected to my desktop PC via a USB cable and my system picked up the drivers as soon as it recognised and identified the hardware. "HP Photosmart Essential Software" is included which gives you the chance to control the machine from your computer and you can use each of its functions from your mouse. The software is instinctive and self-explanatory and there are plenty of 'help' pages if more information or tips are required. Generally this is an easy machine to use, each of its functions are clearly defined and once you have used each of the functions a few times you know exactly what to do. I originally had my machine connected to my HP computer and when I replaced that with the system I am currently using it was as simple as plugging in the USB cable and I was back to being able to scan, print and copy again.

You can, if you prefer, control each of the functions the machine has to offer from the top of the machine itself with a series of square buttons controlling each of the three functions. These are clearly defined so for example if you want a quick photocopy of a letter all you have to do is lift the lid, place your page of paper and press the photocopy button - it really is as simple as that. Paper-jams or other problems are quickly identified as the interface flashes red and you are instructed how to resolve any issues both from the included software and on the machine itself, in my experience these are very seldom and I have never had a problem which couldn't be resolved in only a matter of seconds.

*Ink*

Being a multi functional machine you can expect to use a fair amount of ink, both the photocopier and printer requires ink (obviously) so replacing the cartridges needs to be an easy task. When you are prompted that your ink levels are low you are shown exactly how to remove and replace the cartridges and unlike some printers I have owned in the past where the task is complicated on this machine you simply open the printer itself and unclip the old cartridge and replace with a new one. In the 2 years I have owned this machine I have had to replace the black ink cartridge twice and the colour cartridge only once although this is obviously dependant on how much you use the machine yourself so your own experiences will vary.

I buy my official HP ink cartridges online and pay around £8.00 for the black one and approximately £9.00 for the tri-colour one, as I only print or copy documents and letters on an infrequent basis I seem to get plenty of life out of my cartridges but I am probably not an example of a heavy user. For the price the HP cartridges are though I really can't fault them and their colours are vibrant and the black is deep so again this is an area which gets the thumbs up from me.

*Any Concerns?*

The only area which I could raise concerns over is when it comes to printing colour photographs, maybe it's the quality of the photo-paper I use but I never seem to get a crisp and clear image when I have tried to print in the past. As a photo-printer I probably wouldn't recommend this machine as it seems to me that all the different functions it has to offer have adversely compromised this particular area, for everyday documents and letters it is fine both in black and white and colour but to me it seems to struggle when it comes to the more complex print jobs. I could be doing the printer a disservice though as photographs are generally something which I don't tend to want or need to print at home anyway so my experience in this field is somewhat limited, with expensive photographic paper the results may be better than I have found them to be but I thought this was a concern worth mentioning if you are looking specifically at a machine which gives clear photographic prints.

*Conclusion, Availability and My Rating*

That said, for a 2 year old machine this is as reliable today as it was back when it was included with my computer. I have a very low opinion of Hewlett Packard thanks to the disaster which was my ex-desktop computer however giving credit where credit is due this All-in-One has proven itself to be an essential piece of equipment which has never let me down in the time in which I have owned it. The photocopier and scanner are great additions to the printer itself and I have extensively used all three of the functions it has to offer. It isn't the lightest or the best looking printer on the market today and it does attract and holds dust, for its current retail price of around £60 - £70 though it is certainly comparable to other similar devices and if you have room for one then it could make a great addition to your home office.

It's not a perfect machine for me due to the concerns I have over its photograph printing capabilities and for the sometimes over-responsive paper-feeder, but for what I use it for and for the amount of time I have owned it I am more than happy to award an excellent 4/5 star rating. Definitely recommended if you can track one down, there are independent electrical retailers on the internet who have this for sale or it can be found on the likes of EBay second hand for well under £50.00. For a 3-in-1 machine it's well worth its pricetag whatever you pay for it and the fact that mine is still going strong even after 2 years should give an idea of how durable this actually is.

Thanks for reading my review I hope this will have been of some use to anyone looking at purchasing one of these, I have very little faith in Hewlett Packard but this has proven to be the exception to my own rule that their products are always useless.

Please also note that this review may also appear on ciao under my username.

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Four stars form me - A very good all in one printer!

I have had my HP Deskjet F4180 all in one printer for a while now, the printer is multi functional as a printer, scanner and photocopier. The printer itself is black in colour which gives it a very stylish look. It is quite bulky but it is a 3 in 1 printer so I can understand why. The weight of the printer is 1.1kg.

The printer is actually quite good it isn't as quick as some printers I have had in the past but it always produces a good document or photo. One thing to mention is that when you put your paper in you have to be careful not to push the paper in too far as the printer will take too many copies through and jam.

You can make either colour or black & white photocopies and this process is very simple to do. Basically all you have to do is place your document or photo onto the glass screen on the top of the printer and then press two buttons. I do tend to only photocopy black & white and these always come out very clear they are just as good as using an actual photocopier. Although if you want to copy multiple items it may be best to use the real thing as a photocopier would be quicker at printing. However for making one off copies it is perfect and saves my legs from walking over to the photocopier, that sounds really lazy!

The scanner is again very easy to use, basically place the document or photo onto the glass and then press one button on the printer, very simple! My scans are then saved automatically into a file so that I can easily get to them should I wish to use them again, this therefore saves me having to re-scan my photo etc.

When the ink is running low a message box appears on the screen to inform you of low ink, whether it be the colour cartridge or the black cartridge. The ink cartridges are fairly reasonable to buy, this printer uses both black and tri-colour ink cartridges. The inks that you need to buy are the HP21 Black and HP22 Tri-Colour.

For the HP21 you are looking to pay around £10 or there is an option to buy an XL version which is typically £20 but obviously this ink cartridge lasts much longer than the normal one. To be honest I always buy the XL version of the HP22 cartridge this costs roughly £17. I would recommend buying the XL versions mainly because as I do a lot of printing the normal cartridges don't last too long.

The printer itself can be bought from Amazon for around £34 which I don't think is too bad a price to pay especially with the printer being an all in one.

Overall I am happy with this printer, I have had far worse in the past and even though it has the odd fault like the paper jamming. The good points far outweigh the bad and I would definitely recommend this printer especially if you are not a heavy user.